Gravity
by MockingbirdSoul
Summary: The world of legend is like space: boundless, dark, and lonely. He drifted aimlessly, lost and disordered until she became the force that held him in place - his gravity. [NOTE: Discontinued - Read at your own risk]
1. Chapter 1

Gravity

Chapter 1: Captured

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own the DragonBall franchise or any of the characters.**

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 **Gravity**

Deep blue light washed over her sleeping face like a waterfall, streaming through the fine dark locks of her hair to tint them a faint indigo. His coal black eyes traced over her unconscious form with the intent of examining and evaluating her unique physique. It was a typically petite and sinuous build that most females sported for mating purposes, though accentuated by the visible lines of muscle gained through genetics and years of training. By nature of her proud warrior race, her body was as powerful as it was beautiful.

It had been years since Paragus had seen the remarkable figure of a female Saiyan. Twenty years to be exact. The last vision of his late mate, just before the destruction of planet Vegeta, was another faded silhouette in the back of his mind. His heart held no room for meaningless thoughts of the past, for he only wished to move forward for vengeance for him and his dear son.

Still, this girl brought back those memories from the crevices of his hard heart. The gentle curves of her features brought a look of youthful innocence to her sleeping face. Such a peaceful expression was uncommon among the very few members left of her race, regardless of gender, but her energy was undoubtedly of pure-blooded Saiyan power. Her outward serenity contradicted the sporadic pulse that the nearby heart monitor was picking up.

"It's amazing that she survived."

Paragus lifted his eyes from the female to meet those of the doctor, just entering the medical room with a grim expression dawned on his reptilian face.

"None of the residents on that planet were able to withstand our attack." He informed objectively. "Even the army elite couldn't match your soldiers, Paragus. What a shame. It was a fairly verdant planet as well."

"There are far better out in the cosmos." Paragus muttered.

"Indeed, but your son may end up annihilating those ones as well." The doctor gave a serious look from above the black rim of his glasses.

Paragus could feel his gaze darken. "How is Broly?"

"As of now, sedated and asleep." He informed, examining the unconscious female's condition. "Had he gotten too out of control, he would have easily killed her. No doubt, it was her energy that drew him to that planet."

Paragus hummed in agreement. Although he hadn't sensed her as early as Broly had, he knew from the maddened glee in his son's dark eyes, that he had found his newest victim. In the midst of their panicked shock, the rest of the crew had managed to chase after the cackling Super Saiyan by the time he had obliterated the majority of the puny planet and its inhabitants. The helpless souls were only ants for him to crush as he tore through the lands for his prey.

To think he had found another one of them!

Paragus had barely recovered from his stupor in time to save the female from his son's rampant bloodlust. That wasn't to say that she hadn't put up a good fight herself. The absolute rage in her eyes, her attacks, and her screams as she viciously fought off Broly registered clear in his head as the spirit of a Saiyan warrior. Even Broly, throughout his chaotic exaltation, had been taken aback by her exceptional power for a female, seeing as he hadn't killed her right away. He had been enjoying himself far too much to let the fight end so soon. His maniacal smile and laughter had frightened both Paragus and the girl.

"Did you find a reading on her power level?" Paragus inquired of the doctor, interrupting his analysis of his patient.

"Yes." He replied, rubbing his chin in contemplation. "The readings may be inaccurate due to fluctuations throughout the battle, but I've averaged the numbers to approximately 900,000."

Even if it was lower than his own power level, Paragus had to balk at the number. It was far higher than most female Saiyan warriors he had known of.

"What was her peak?" He asked, struggling to maintain indifference.

"The highest number I recorded was 1,700,000 at maximum in base form." He explained, reading over the list from a clipboard. "It was 16,000,000 in her Super Saiyan form. It's still nowhere near as high as yours, let alone Broly's."

"I don't expect it to be." Paragus said gruffly. "Although, after near-death from the battle today, those numbers will considerably increase."

"Indeed." The doctor nodded affirmatively. "We have yet to receive those recordings, and judging from her erratic bodily patterns, she's adjusting to that new power."

 _Excellent._

"To think there was another Super Saiyan." He murmured.

"Aside from Broly." Paragus added quietly.

"I suspect that it must have been her first transformation, given the spontaneity of her power after what seemed like shock." The doctor muttered in rumination. "Intense anger generates the power for the transformation, but it also takes a considerable amount of strength from the get-go."

Paragus shifted his eyes back to the girl. The doctor laid a clawed hand to her brow; the shadow it cast upon her pale eyelids gave her a deathly visage, making her appear all the more vulnerable.

"Her body's reaction to the power change is nearly palpable." He noted with a slight crease in his brow. "I don't understand how she achieved such power on that weakly populated planet. Perhaps she is one of Frieza's henchmen?"

"No." Paragus shook his head. "The men in our army who had escaped from Frieza's ranks provided me with intel of our condition. By the Cold family's knowledge, there were only three known Saiyans apart from me and Broly who were spared from the massive genocide. Prince Vegeta himself; an elite warrior named Nappa; and the first son of Bardock, Raditz. There were no records of females surviving. If there were, Frieza would have been sure to kill them to prevent the Saiyans from repopulating."

"I see. Well then, what was she doing on that planet in the first place?"

Paragus had been pondering over this himself. Crossing his arms, he leveled his gaze with the doctor.

"Given how young she looks, I would assume that she was sent out in a Saiyan pod a day or two prior to Frieza's destruction of planet Vegeta." He spoke gravely. "Saiyan children were sent out to different planets with the motive of conquering them for the Cold family's empire. What perplexes me is that she seemed to be defending the inhabitants there, and was even seen on the lines of the firing force of their military. Why?"

"Hmmm..." The doctor read over a few of his notes, making the furrow of his dark brow deepen in speculation. "Could it be?

"What are you thinking?" Paragus demanded.

"It seemed like a far-fetched theory at first," The doctor began. "But after inspecting some of the damage to her cranium, I discovered an aged scar right about here." He felt a spot on the side of her head.

"What of it?"

"The damaged area is right above the hippocampus, the cerebral cortex's memory storage unit. From what I saw, she didn't give any indication of recognizing your Saiyan energy..." The doctor muttered in contemplation. "She also wasn't wearing any Saiyan armor, nor does she even have a tail."

Before her capture, she had been adorned in the battle garb of the planet's military service, a sign of loyalty to their race. Under their captivity, her armor had been discarded for a small hospital gown that expressed every inch and dimension of her femininity. As for her tail, it had indeed been removed. It was as if all memory of her being a Saiyan, aside from her immense energy, had been erased.

"Where are you going with this?" Paragus asked warily.

"If she was indeed left on that planet for some time as a child, I suspect that damage to this area of the brain made her suffer mental trauma and caused her to forget her origin. That would explain her hostility to the invaders, especially Broly, as they destroyed the planet."

Paragus drank in the possibility of the scenario. "You believe she's amnesiac?"

"It's probable." He replied, though he seemed skeptical of his own conjecture. "Have there been other cases of Saiyan children failing to conquer new planets or assimilating to life on said planet?"

"None that I know of." Paragus replied. "Children would usually die off only if they were too weak to take the planet. She survived, but that may be because she was on a planet of a species known for their advanced healing techniques."

"Then it's very possible that she completely lost touch of her heritage, and embraced life on that new planet. The species isn't, er... _wasn't_ very hostile, based on records. She could have had a change of heart from their kindness."

Paragus scowled at the absurd thought.

"A true Saiyan wouldn't willingly degrade himself or herself to such a pitiable life of peace." He said coldly. "It must be amnesia."

"Interesting." The doctor mused. "I'll see to it that the remaining survivors provide us with information about her."

Paragus nodded in agreement; he too had an agenda to address with a certain individual from the battlefield.

"I wonder if she is a singular case." The doctor speculated. "There must have been other children sent out before Vegeta's destruction, as well. Could there be others out there?"

"There may very well be, but the universe is too vast to search for missing links of a decimated population." Paragus said in a low voice. "However, I'm more than content with our little find today. I'm eager to find out more about her condition."

"It would be best to give her time to recover from today's trauma. She won't be very cooperative unless we gain her trust. Keep the guards around in case she becomes violent." The doctor advised.

To his unpleasant surprise, Paragus let a harsh laugh out from smirking lips.

"No need to worry. Feisty as she may be, she doesn't have the strength to defy us. As of now, her power level is no match for us."

"As of now?" The doctor gave a quizzical look. "What are you implying?"

Paragus laid his dark gaze on the girl's tranquil countenance, smiling maliciously as he ran his thumb along the delicate line of eyelashes resting on her soft cheekbones.

"Weak as she may be at the very moment, she's still a Saiyan. And one who had enough gall to take on Broly." He explained carefully. "I plan to make use of her potential power and current weakness. Given that she reaches a certain level of strength, she could be a very positive asset to my plans for later. So I'll make sure she is taken care of."

"Then I would advise you to keep her away from your son." The doctor warned sternly. "Restraining him was near impossible, and it did cost a few lives of your soldiers. Now that he's taken an interest in her, I suspect that he'll be chasing her relentlessly."

"Oh, I'm counting on it."

Paragus lifted his smirk up to the stupefied doctor. "I need something to keep him distracted. It'll be good for the both of them to get to know each other as members of the same race. In time, they'll have a special relationship."

With a few moments of contemplation, the doctor's bewildered expression stiffened upon realizing the subliminal message.

"You're terrible." He stated with a dry grimace.

Paragus's smile spread further on his scarred face as he settled his eyes intently on the girl. Gingerly, he let his calloused fingers trace along the soft curves of her cheek to her small, sensual lips parted for her warm breath to flow into the chilled air.

She was truly a breathtaking relic of the Saiyans.

Before reclaiming his hand from her sleeping face, Paragus spared one last glance at the last female of his race. How odd was it to see a woman who had been so engulfed in wrath, bloodied, beaten, and broken just a few hours earlier, now laying in peaceful slumber in the clutches of the very men who destroyed her home.

But it mattered not.

Like the very planet she had been found on, her past was erased, meaningless, and lost to the darkness of space. Everything she knew from before meant nothing now. She was theirs. She was at their mercy. Paragus would see to it that she would play a part in his plans for vengeance, and a rightful role in his vision for the saved future of the Saiyans.

"Continue your tests." Paragus ordered with a dismissive tone. "I'll pay my son a visit before I call an end to this long day."

"Yes, sir." He heard the doctor murmur before the doors closed behind him.

With images of her flitting about in his mind all the way, Paragus made his way to his son's isolated chamber in their gargantuan space ship. As he drew nearer to the end of the lengthy corridor, he could feel his breath instinctively hitch at the sensation of a staggering energy. With the utmost caution, Paragus slowly and painstakingly creaked the wooden door open to reveal his only son resting in the lightless confines of his room. The illumination of the countless stars out in the thick blanket of space failed to shed any light on him. He was a creature of darkness.

Paragus stopped at a safe distance from his bed to observe his condition. As always, his powerful form was unmarred by any affliction of battle. No scars, no burns, no cuts, no bruises; such ailments could not disfigure him. As his eyes traveled from his masterfully sculpted form to his face, Paragus felt trails of ice channel their way down his whole body. Despite his attachment to his only beloved son, utter dread overtook Paragus each time he saw his face. His herculean appearance was as charming as it was deceiving. Beyond his feigned docility was decadence far darker than any brave soul could hope to stand against. Not even the mightiest of warriors had the courage to stare directly into his caliginous eyes; blacker than the abysmal vacuum of space; colder than the frigid expanse of a land of ice; and far more sinister than any devil to have ever existed.

He was infinitely thankful that those cimmerian eyes were hidden underneath darkened eyelids and darker eyelashes. The faintest twitch of his furrowed brow made Paragus flinch, but his heavy breathing and slack posture were positive indicators that Broly would not be waking up any time soon, thanks to the influence of the doctor's potent sedatives. Every part of him was relaxed, apart from his expression, although that wasn't shocking; even under the calming spell of sleep, he was never at peace.

Paragus let a small sigh escape him.

 _What ails you, my son?_

Broly's instability had gotten worse with age, but there was no way for Paragus to assess the direct cause for his son's disturbing behavior. It must have been the power that corrupted him at such a young age. On some level, he could understand King Vegeta's past apprehension over his infant son's extraordinary power; he was getting harder to keep under control as the years, months, and, days passed; as his incredible strength kept rapidly increasing; and as his sanity kept slowly cracking.

But he would have risked losing such power out of fear of being overthrown? He would have eliminated one of his elite and most loyal warriors? All out of fear? Such cowardice was unbecoming of a King and a Saiyan. That man had no place as ruler of a proud warrior race. Paragus would shove those fears back down that gutless bastard's throat, wherever he was burning in Hell. Broly's power would be the key to his plans for vengeance and for the revival of the Saiyans.

Paragus dared another look at his sleeping son, once again feeling relief wash over him at not having to face those dark eyes and that darker smile. Never had he seen such a deranged exhilaration take residence in his son's eyes as it did today during his fight with that woman. If she could entice him at this stage of strength, then this arrangement between them would prove meritable if he could draw out more of that unlocked power within her.

Paragus deftly left Broly to his slumber to retire to his own vacant chamber. All the way, his plan for the two young, sleeping Saiyans brought a smirk to his lips.

With his careful planning, the two of them would indeed bring out the best in each other.

 **XxxxxXxxxxX**

 _Cries of_ _anguish roared against the_ _blood-red blaze devouring everything around her. Every sound of the planet's suffering resonated like the howl of a wounded beast_ _as her home was devastated, violated, and desecrated before her eyes._

 _But far more daunting than the bedlam was something only she could feel. None of the soldiers w_ _ould have charged off to battle had they sensed such an incredible intensity. This_ _singular power was supreme and unmatched by anything she had ever sensed before. It crushed her from the_ _inside, draining her of_ _any hope for survival, leaving her as helpless as an animal awaiting slaughter._

 _"Be brave."_

 _Those were the last words her father had whispered gently to her before plunging into the bloodbath._

 _Could he be laying amongst the countless corpses surrounding her?_

 _A single sound transcended above the waves of destruction. Sharp, guttural, nightmarish laughter_ _that echoed in the darkened skies. The power drew closer, and spiked_ _incredibly upon feeling her._

 _Her eyes shifted straight to her inevitable doom, absorbing the final image of what would seal her fate: spikes flying about like golden flames; a predatory gleam in a menacing smile; savage bloodlust reflected on the glassy surface of teal eyes._

 _Closer...closer...closer..._

 **All I see is red**.

 _Maniacal cackles rang like a_ _death knell to announce her final moment._

 _Closer...closer...closer..._

 **All I see is red.**

 _Reaching deep within, she found the miniscule strength she had left to face him._

 _Closer...closer...closer.._

 _Every ounce of hatred she felt was channeling towards him._

 **All I see is red.**

 _Everything within her that had been reduced to cinders was ignited with an ardent light._

 _Rage erupted from within her searing core._ _Her screams_ _reverberated in the sky, bringing her fury to life for the dying planet to behold. Unknown power_ _surged like tidal waves inside of her, but she didn't waste another thought on it._

 **All I see is red.**

 _It was then that her rationality relinquished its control of her to primal instinct._

 _She descended into oblivion._

 _She was rushing closer to him by unfathomable_ _speed. A weak inkling in the back of her mind_ _screeched that she was charging into the arms death, but its plea fell on deaf ears. Stopping would be_ _pointless. She was already on the precipice of life and death._

 _There was no turning back._

 _Everything she knew shattered like glass. Life, death, good, evil, and even the home she_ _held dear became meaningless._

 _None of it_ _mattered anymore._

 _Nothing was there but him._

 _Nothing would stop her._

 **All I see is red.**

 _Not the fear in the eyes of the few remaining alive._

 _Not her beloved home shattering beneath her feet._

 _Not the psychotic elation that sparked in his crazed eyes._

 **All I see is red.**

 _Not until he lay dead at her feet._

 **XxxxxXxxxxX**

 **A/N: Paragus be creepin'.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this opening chapter, and please review if you have any thoughts you'd like to share. This is my shy attempt at writing a believable romance with, in my opinion, one of DBZ's most underdeveloped male villains.** **Let me know what you think.**

 **And yes, the bolded lines are lyrics to the song Deeper by I.O.N. (Perfect Super Saiyan theme imo)**

 **Also, if anyone has any grasp of the utter BS that is the concept of power levels, please let me know if I chose a reasonable starting point for my newly transformed OC. She's obviously weaker than SSJ Goku from Namek at the moment, but I plan to show her growth throughout this fic.**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

Gravity

Chapter 2 : Precipice

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own the DragonBall franchise or any of the characters. Sadly. Seriously, I'd be loaded.**

 **Once again, very shy attempt on my part. I hope you enjoy!**

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 **Gravity**

 **Day 1** **:** **The patient shows no signs of awakening from this comatose. There does not appear to be any damage to the reticular formation or any other part of the cerebral cortex. The wounds are critical, but the body's regeneration rate is staggeringly quick. A major problem may be respiratory damage from smoke inhalation. Readings from the internal systems indicate that the metabolism is working in hyperdrive to adjust to the strain of new Super Saiyan power that has been unlocked.**

 **Day 2** **:** **The body systems remain active and are functioning at a sporadic rate to reform damaged tissue, and heal burns and broken bones. An odd phenomenon of muscle spasms and contractions seems to be affecting the patient, yet there are no reflexive responses to direct stimulation.**

Hollow blue eyes scanned the reports without any intent of deciphering their meaning. None of the scientific drivel told him what he wanted to know. His arm instinctively lifted to run a hand through the tufts of fading dark locks, but Ryland didn't want to risk ripping his hair out in frustration.

All the while, the reptilian head doctor patiently observed him from the edge of the window frame, not bothering to offer any explanation to the written analyses he had provided.

 **Day 3** **:** **There are periodic fluctuations of energy levels as the body seems to tap in and out of the heightened state of power. Physical transmutations resulting from such fluctuations include changes in hair pigmentation, and muscular engorgement. The internal system shifts between hyperactivity and states of calm as the Saiyan energy works to stabilize itself.**

Saiyan. He decided that he detested the word.

It had pierced into him and tore his entire world apart. It shattered the dream of peace that he had carefully and tirelessly worked to maintain for himself and everyone he loved. Worst of all, it drove a cruel truth into him: that he had no one to blame for the ruination of so many lives but himself.

Muttering an ireful curse, he impatiently flipped through the pages to read the most recent data report.

 **Day 7** **:** **There has been significant improvement in the patient's physical condition. The external burns and flesh wounds have been fully healed, as well as internally damaged tissues or fractured bones. The lungs are still severely damaged from inhaling noxious fumes, and will need to be examined immediately upon awakening. The metabolic rates have stabilized to healthy measures, indicating that the body has managed to reach a fixed state of homeostasis in accordance with the increased Saiyan energy. The patient shows increased signs of imminent wakefulness. There is still no response to direct stimulation, though the brainwaves indicate that regular sleep cycles are occurring.**

"She'll be waking up soon?" Ryland asked, turning an inquisitive look back to the stoic doctor. Slitted eyes flicked over to him, but the rest of his scaly features remained inanimate.

"Three days should be a fairly accurate time frame." He informed objectively. "But its only a rough estimate. There are no certainties."

"There never are in science." Ryland muttered bitterly.

"Need I remind you that it was you who requested my personal data reports?"

"What other alternative do I have?" He barked, turning to throw contemptuous glare at the reptilian creature. "Or do I finally have permission to actually see her?"

The doctor's eyes remained dead set, but Ryland saw a softer light glaze their glassy surface. The expression contorted his scaly features to represent something akin to sympathy. Ryland seethed; he had no use for worthless pity. He wanted a solution.

More so, he wanted his daughter back.

"You can see her once you make a decision, General."

His entire being tensed at the sound of that loathsome voice. Ryland despised the way it tore through him like a jagged knife. Even the aloof doctor visibly stiffened as the lord of this pseudo palace stepped out from the thick shadows and into the dimly lit room. The moonlight streaming in from the window intensified his rough features, most notably the chaotic crown of his dark hair and his even darker eyes.

"Where the hell have you been?" Ryland demanded, attempting to eclipse the quiver in his voice with contempt.

"In the dungeons." Paragus answered gruffly, though with a scowl twisted onto his dark features.

"Paying your ever charming son another visit?" The doctor inquired tonelessly as the older man offhandedly wiped away at some blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Ryland stiffened with anger at the mention of that freak.

"To continue our...negotiations." He eventually muttered.

"To no avail, it appears." The doctor mused dryly.

"I'm working on it." Paragus barked back. "I know my son, doctor. He's not completely irrational. He'll see to my reasoning soon."

"Perhaps you can strike a deal with him at the cost of your other eye?"

"What deal?" Ryland inquired warily.

The Saiyan named Paragus slid his black gaze over to him. The gruesomely salient scar that ran over his left eye, the doctor had informed him, was another appendage inflicted on him by his psychotic son.

"That's none of your concern." He concluded coldly. "Focus on your own decision, General. I'm losing patience. Your people are waiting in agony and slowly perishing by the minute, and I have no way to mobilize my men until we have a set course of action."

Ryland didn't answer, but blanched at the lack of sympathy in his words. Paragus arched an impatient brow and crossed his arms.

"Do you need a review of your options?" He asked in a frigid voice. "I've already told you that I don't believe in wasting the lives of people that can be put to use. If there's anything I have learned from my long years of traveling in space, it's to make the most out of the least. Your loss is staggering, but you can turn that around under my custody. To replace the men I've lost, you and your soldiers will join my ranks. As for the Helixians, they will be spared on the grounds that they will work for me."

"You mean to enslave us?" Ryland snarled without looking up at Paragus.

"To repay me." He corrected evenly. "I don't believe in altruism. Every business transaction requires an equivalent exchange. In return for my offer,"

Ryland watched as the Saiyan withdrew a small disc-like device, and set it in the middle of the table. With the push of a button, the light from a holographic image saturated the dark room with a bleary, blue hue. His own blue eyes were immediately fixated on the image of a sleeping girl laying peacefully in the tranquil solitude of a vacant hospital room.

"You will hand the girl over to us."

His teeth clenched. His eyes burned. His fists shook. His body was reacting in the same way it did whenever he would steel himself for a fight.

But it was a futile response. Ryland's heart flooded with the dread and hatred of having to face a battle he couldn't hope to ever win. All of the supposed strength he had gained through his years as a commanding officer surmounted to nothing the moment he and his family needed it the most.

His heart constricted at the sight of a facial twitch on her gentle features. The last he had seen her awake, she had been a completely different person. The woman that had defended their planet was not his sweet, dark-haired haired soldier girl, but a mirror image of the man attacking her.

Golden locks, shining green eyes, and a god-like power.

It wasn't her at all, but a separate form of hers that had remained dormant for years of peace. Such a threatening transformation was completely alien to her family, yet she shifted into it so naturally. As if it had been waiting to be unlocked.

It scared the hell out of him.

Paragus watched her with a more malevolent captivation hidden behind his dark eye.

"I'm sure you're well aware of her deviance from the rest of your race." He continued on. "Broly and I recognized her energy, and the doctor's genetic testing reveals Saiyan blood coursing through her veins."

"Yes." The doctor murmured from the dark corner.

"Therefore, it's only right to return her to her true people." Paragus lifted a serious expression to Ryland's enraged eyes. "You can't denounce the truth any longer. The girl you've claimed as your daughter is a young Saiyaness with an unchartered abundance of power: power that can only flourish under the guidance of fellow Saiyan warriors. Give her to me, and I'll spare you and the Helixians."

Ryland couldn't stop the shudder that convulsed its way through his body. To betray the people he had sworn to protect under military oath, or to abandon the little girl he had sworn to protect as a father? How could he decide between the lesser of two irrevocable evils?

"If not, I can assure that you'll be reunited with the rest of your lost comrades." Paragus whispered gravely. "And I'll take her by force."

"You call this a fair deal?" Ryland spat hatefully. He barely caught sight of the doctor's slight pained grimace, but his glare was directed at the unapprehensive Saiyan.

"It's fairer than you think." Paragus replied remorselessly. "What do I gain from burdening myself with a weak and broken population to crowd this barren planet, and waste it's already limited resources? And after losing nearly a quarter of my men, as well? Believe it or not, we've both reached an unfortunate shortcoming."

"Blame that freak of yours." Ryland muttered back acidicly, not caring if the man before him was strong enough to kill him twice over. The light in Paragus's black eye sharpened like a drawn blade before simmering into a grave glower.

"As a commander, I don't condone Broly's behavior. However, I'm not forgiving of rudeness towards my only son, General." He cautioned in a low, threatening voice. "I know of his problems. I've spent many years paying the price for his...misdemeanors."

Ryland gave a derisive grunt at the understatement, but Paragus's expression remained severe.

"As a father, I also fully understand your concern for your child. It's not typical for Saiyans to worry themselves over their young, but I find myself increasingly distressed over Broly's future with each day that passes. His power far exceeds mine and any other being we've come across thus far in our travels. I fear the path that he will choose once he becomes too independent from me. I'm sure you can understand that, especially since you've done a fine job of keeping your girl's true heritage a secret from everyone, including herself."

He hadn't failed to notice how Ryland's grasp on the table tightened enough to crack the stone frame.

"After this chance encounter between our kids, I foresee an inevitable and very important future for the both of them. It's only natural that I wish to preserve members of my fallen race, so I have absolutely no intention of bringing any harm to your precious 'daughter'."

"And look where she is now." Ryland growled. "Hospitalized after being tortured within an inch of her life. Is that the future you see for her? With your precious _son?_ "

Despite the previous warning, he spat the last word like it was a vulgarity. He was met with that same lightless glare, yet something about it was cryptic. Silently, Paragus proceeded to push another button on the projector.

"Let me tell you something about Broly..."

In an instant, the blue light dissolved into a pale glow that splayed discordant patterns of shadows on the walls. The three men in the room simultaneously drew in sharp breaths at the sight of a familiar silhouette chained in the bleak darkness of the dungeons just levels beneath them. To an ignorant eye, the obscured male figure before them would have appeared slack and inanimate, but the subtly serial shift of his broad shoulders indicated controlled breathing. The darkness concealed any distinguishing details of his face, but Ryland could make out the edges of his sharply defined features, and monstrously muscular arms.

Ryland's mind flooded with the agonizing images of a sickening green aura tracing those brutal arms, of the blood of his comrades trailing down the lines of muscle, and of his daughter helplessly writhing in their grasp. He stared at the image, paralyzed with the anticipation of something to disturb the unsettling stillness of the man locked away in the shadows of his prison.

"The devastation you saw from him was only a fraction of his true power." Paragus explained. "Ever since he was a child, his prowess as a warrior has filled me with pride, and saved my life on more than one occasion. In my eyes, Broly's gift is the key to reestablishing Saiyan dominance."

He let out a deep breath that he seemed to have been holding in for a while. His black eyes were dead set on the holographic image before them.

"However, he posseses an insatiable thirst for battle that has claimed the lives of many. The most recent being your people."

If the weak light from the torches in the dungeon flickered brightly enough, he could see abysmal black glaring out at the inferior darkness that encased it. Ryland's blood turned to ice when those eyes flicked in his direction, piercing straight into him with a feral intensity. The image prompted Paragus to hurriedly switched the machine off to return the room to its normal dimness. Ryland had caught a hint of something just before it quickly vanished behind the shadows of the older Saiyan's eyes.

Fear.

To fear your own child!

Ryland stared as the perturbed expression on the Saiyan's face slowly morphed into something that looked almost pensive.

"I know there is something gravely wrong with my son. Something dangerous and threatening. I can't continue to control him on my own for much longer." Paragus explained with a hint of frustration. "I have feared for my own life around him."

Almost unthinkingly, he reached out to switch the projector device on again, but this time to focus only on the image of the hospital room. Ryland watched as the camera frame closed in on those familiarly undisturbed features. He caught sight of Paragus's gaze, shamlessly fixated on her.

"Compared to me and Broly, her strength is at best marginal. But the girl is still young and overflowing with raw potential. Her ability to transcend above her limits, to become a Super Saiyan, proves that she is already far above Saiyans of the past! Allow me to cultivate that power to create a warrior fit for the job of keeping my son tame."

The way he ogled her with such sinister intent was sickening.

"There's so much potential hidden beneath that peaceful facade. Do you honestly believe in letting such latent possibility remain dormant forever?" Paragus goaded on almost excitedly. "It is in her blood to exploit that incredible strength. Holding her back would be a waste, and a crime against her nature. Think of all of the possibilities to achieving such power! Only Saiyans possess such supremacy, a dominance that I'll stop at nothing to see prosper once again. I refuse to let this opportunity slip from my fingers. I need all of the last remaining Saiyan blood in this universe to restore our race-"

Ryland slammed his hands down on the table with enough force to create noticeable cracks and indentations in the stone frame. The doctor blinked in surprise, but Paragus looked hardly affected. He could feel his body reacting with anger and revulsion to everything that Paragus was saying, but his true disgust lay with the unspoken motive that the rogue Saiyan had.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" He let out in a breathless, empty whisper.

The hints were subtle, but completely recognizable after spending years in the military, fighting against it and all other barbarity committed by men. Throughout those years, he had learned to identify the underlying salacious aggression that was inherent in the male gaze. He had seen it reflected as predatory lust in the smile that hovered just a breath away from his daughter's quivering, bloodstained lips.

The doctor's immovable expression once again sunk into what looked like a pained grimace. The truth was only confirmed by the elastic smile that laced itself upon Paragus's lips.

How he wanted to lash out at this man. To treat her as some tool was an insult he could never forgive, not from this alien nor from planet Helixia's military confederacy. All her life, he had used his influence within the military ranks to protect her from being a weapon for the army. The science department had thought him senseless, but he didn't want her to live her life as a mere object to be used.

Where had that sentiment gone now? Was it also completely destroyed on the careless whim of that ultrapowered Super Saiyan in the dungeons? Ryland's blood boiled with rage. He hadn't only taken lives, but had utterly deprived them of any hope for recovery. There was nothing now but a dismal future for him and his family at the mercy of these cold-blooded Saiyans. Here he was, about to decide the future of his little girl with only one horrifying certainty of what was in store for her. As he feared, she was going to be used.

And he couldn't protect her from the way they planned to use her.

 **Xxxxx Three Days Later xxxxX**

It was an unfathomable blindness to all but a single color that granted her ascension into an unknown dimension of herself.

It incinerated the earth in a ravenous blaze.

Tinted the dark skies with flickering embers.

Trickled in thick, damp, steaming lines down her arms, chest, and legs.

And inebriated her with a potent lust for carnage.

Then it all dissipated into oblivion.

It seemed as though all of her senses were disconnected from reality. Through some unexplainable perception, she understood that she was submerged in perpetual darkness. Yet she couldn't see or feel her own body.

Was this nothing but an extension of her mind?

Or was she no longer alive?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a faint voice that echoed off in the distance.

 _Wake up._

What?

 _Wake up now, Spina._

Her name?

 _We're alive._

We?

The sound was distorted, yet the light voice held a distinct quality that made it eerily familiar to her. The words came clearer now. The echoes bounced closer until soft whispers drifted just a breath away from her insubstantial body.

 _Spina._

It was her own voice, but it was laced with an ethereal quality that made it seem otherworldly. It's delivery was stronger and more imposing, but thick with a subtle urgency that spelled danger.

 _We must awaken immediately. They're coming for us._

She wanted to reach out to this unseen speaker, but another sepulchral sound resonated even deeper in the boundless expanse of darkness.

Laughter.

 _He's coming for us._

 **All I see is red**

 _She was dying._

 _She could feel it._

 _He was going to suffocate her._

 _Her body was crushed in the unshakeable grasp of a man deadlier than the circle of flames licking at their bruised and bloody bodies._

 _All of the air in her burning lungs was being forced out from her._

 _Her breathing contracted into strangled cries and gasps that stabbed relentlessly and mercilessly into her._

 _His smirking lips hovered just a hot breath away from the frantic pulse at the sweaty hollow of her neck, letting his low laughter just beneath her ringing ears._

 _Her anguished screams reverberated louder in the air as his arms constricted tighter around her_.

Every numbed sense of hers was awakened under a terrifying stimulation. Fear paralyzed her mind, body, and heart as the sound slithered dangerously close to her.

She gasped when calloused hands brutally seized her bare shoulders, and swept her up against a powerful, muscular form. Raw breath rippled like steam against her chilled skin before her listless body was imprisoned in inescapable arms.

 **XxxxxXxxxxX**

Dim blue light was the first thing to stream through her vision as her eyes shot open. Spina could feel every part of herself become reanimated as her body adjusted itself to the chilling aftershock of a nightmare.

Moments later, she realized that her fingers were tightly clutching a thin fabric at her heaving chest, and one hand was hooked up to the beeping machine at her bedside. With a daring glance, and a stiff neck, she peeked down to find her small form covered with a white sheet, and clothed in a baggy hospital gown.

 _I'm in an infirmary...what happened? Where are dad and the others?_

The last thing she could vaguely recall was hearing an alert call from the infantryman out in the city. After the elite units had mobilized, the rest of the events became an erratic haze of moving figures and panicked shouts. Far off in the distance, a chaotic incandescence blazed out from the horizon, prompting billowing plumes of smoke to ooze out into darkened sky. Spina remembered the last look her father had sent her before being swept away in the mass of his soldiers to charge into the flaming scourge. She had seen the glimmer of fear that had taken residence in his cloudy blue eyes.

What had they been fighting against that could have caused such a surge of hysteria? And where was she now, even?

Her ruminations were interrupted by a series of dry coughs that burned her sore throat. It was then she realized that her breathing had become painfully labored. Each intake of breath had the lingering taste of smoke, and caused a sharp pain in her chest.

Grimacing, she arduously lifted her aching self, and gently slid her bare legs off of the papery sheets beneath her until she was facing the entirety of her alien surroundings. Her wide eyes traveled over every dusty inch of the darkened space, from the crooked intricacy of cracks and cobwebs extending to the shadows streaked like paint across the rough stone walls. The vacant room was filled with technology that appeared far too advanced to be in a medical office.

 _What is this place?_

In the corner closest to her, a cylindrical structure was wedged between protruding control boards and computers. The image reflected back to her was nearly indistinguishable in the murky glass, but she recognized the cascading wisps of inky black hair that framed her pale features. When she inched closer to get a better look, Spina discovered something slightly off about the light in her dusky eyes. The faint sparkle that sometimes shyly peeked out from her irises now shimmered against a glowing sheen of onyx.

As she lifted her free hand to brush back a few short slips of dark hair from her cheek, she felt a uncomfortable compression on her muscles. Blinking in confusion, Spina stretched her pale arm out to halfway meet the stream of light pouring in from a skylight window. The space around it held a heavy stricture that made it difficult to keep it suspended in air. The sensation was distinctively familiar, yet she couldn't place a name to it.

 _Is it the air pressure? No...something stronger than that..._

Once again the uncomfortable tightness in her chest gave rise to another sequence of coughs, and eventually a sigh of frustration. Feeling restless, she carefully unhooked the bindings on her left arm and eased her way on to the cold stone floor. Her immediate action would have been to leave and find a member of the medical staff that had taken her in and get some answers.

She made it close...until her numb legs gave out beneath her. An unbecoming, girlish yelp escaped her as she gracelessly toppled onto the hard ground.

"Ow..." She croaked, wincing at the pain and the hoarseness of her voice. When she pushed herself upwards, she noticed that her leg had hit the edge of an office desk, so a mess of papers and a little black notebook had tumbled onto the space next to her.

Blowing her bangs away in irritation, Spina reached for the opened book to return it to its place on the desk. As she lifted herself to full height, the contents of the open pages caught in the dim light, and her eyes picked the curving orientation of lines to a drawing. Her curiosity beat out courtesy, so she held the pages further out into the light. They were sketches of plants, coupled with what she assumed were notes written in a foreign script.

 _Botany? Or maybe it's a medicine book?_

Soon, she found herself distractedly flipping through the pages with no other purpose but to look at the pictures. Even if she recognized none of the exotic looking flora and fauna, they were beautifully captured on paper. One that particularly caught her eyes was a very familiar, thick rooted weed. Her brows drew together in puzzlement until she recognized the unique shape of leaves. She remembered seeing such plants cultivated in herbal nurseries near her home for medicinal purposes. What was it called again...?

Her fingers slipped, and accidentally sent her to the very last page. Following a thick clump of blank pages was a picture that depicted a completely different muse: a person.

More accurately, a young boy. She blinked in surprise at the oddity.

Once again, she was amazed by the detail engraved in the obscured piece, but also puzzled at the odd features given to its very young subject. For one thing, his tattered clothing was resemblant of a hunter's, with cut sleeves to reveal surprisingly toned arms and broad shoulders. His spiky hair was done in an unruly disarray that somehow completely worked. The picture depicted something similar to an action snapshot, with him looking over his shoulder with an unreadable glimmer in his sleepy eyes, and a faintly arched brow that was half curious, half daring, and all trouble.

His expression was the most striking thing about him, (contending only against what appeared to be a furry tail curled around his lean torso). For the most part, it was utterly blank, and almost zombie-like, but there was a discernible trace of impudence that looked ready to spark the moment it was set off. It was an unusual, and almost disturbing look for a child. He couldn't have been more than ten years old, but a sharpness to his heavy gaze made him seem far older.

He was definitely cute, yet there was a distinctively eerie aura about him...

From what she could see, there wasn't a trace of innocence in those sleepy eyes. She half expected them to blink back at her just to prove how void they were. They reminded her of a time when she looked the same way.

Unable to withstand his penetrating glower any longer, Spina closed the pages in on the boy, and set the book back on the table. As she reached down to pick up the discarded papers on the floor, she noticed that the handwriting on them was the same as the foriegn script in the book, but these words were written in English. It appeared to be an examination report.

 **Nearly a week after the incident, the patient still has not awoken, however the energy levels are far more stable than from before. Lung damage is still severe, however, synthesizing our medicine with compounds provided from the Helixian nabyss root may provide the correct agent for clearing the respiratory pathways.**

 _Nabyss. The stuff healers use to make congestion medicine._

Another cough answered her on cue. The sharp pain it sent coursing through her chest was all too disconcerting, and that same aftertaste of smoke did not help to quell her confusion over what had landed her in this peculiar situation.

Settling the papers down, Spina turned to face a lone set of double doors, faintly outlined by the dim light that reached the silent darkness in the far corner of the room. The glinting door handles beckoned her forward like the glare of a serpent. Her legs had mechanically carried her to the front of the exit, but her hands made no move to reach forward for the handle. Staring intently at the rugged wood frame, Spina felt an unexpected twinge of hesitance. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, her throat tightened, and her pulse accelerated. A familiar instinct that often saved her from danger was telling her that something untrustworthy was waiting on the other side of this door.

A stronger urge to find out what that something was overpowered her instinctual caution, prompting her to graze her fingers against the cold metal door handle...

 _CRASH!_

She gasped as the ground beneath her convulsed under the pressure of a violent tremor. Sounds of rumbling and crashing boomed from outside the office. The weak light in the room blinked frantically until the glass bulb cracked from an angry spark of electricity. Everything was shaking uncontrollably: objects crashed to the floor, glass shattered, and even the cracks in the walls were expanding and breaking apart further from the contractions in the earth. A swelling upsurge in the floor would have knocked her off balance if she hadn't caught the edge of a rooted desk. She screamed when the blue light flickered off and left her in total darkness. Utter terror refused to let her grip on the desk slip, but Spina could feel everything clamoring down under the indomitable force of gravity.

 _Indomitable..._

 _Inescapable..._

 _Futile..._

 _The earth shaking..._

 _The ground breaking..._

 _Feeling the brutal palpitations rip everything except her apart..._

 _Hearing that chilling laughter..._

 _Seeing those menacing eyes..._

 _She was trapped at the center of the chaos..._

 _With no one but..._

She screamed again as more and more objects and glass fell and shattered all around her. A loud crash sounded followed by a hammering scuffle of footsteps. Suddenly, moving bodies that she could barely see were pooling into the room and blockading her. She felt a gloved hand roughly grab her arm.

"Move!" A male voice yelled above the cacophony of falling and breaking objects.

 **XxxxxXxxxxX**

They all sensed the cataclysm that burst forth from the core of the palace. He knew they did. He made sure that they did. Even submerged deep within the darkness of the dungeons, he knew all of the impotent weaklings wandering above in the daylight were now trembling and screaming in a panicked mass.

But none of the worthless scum mattered to him.

All of their pathetic energy signals swarmed into a feeble mass that surrounded the one life force that he was hell bent on annihilating.

Her.

She was awake again, far, but agonizingly close.

Every muscle in his body blazed with exertion as he fought viciously against the bindings his father had trapped him in. They never held him for long. Nothing that his father and that damned doctor resorted to ever managed to subdue him.

Nothing could control him!

Strained grunts and growls escaped his clenched teeth as he struggled forward against the fading energy. She was hiding from him. Useless. He would stop at nothing to finish the fight he had started, and crush the life out of that woman.

How dare his father spare her?! Their battle wasn't over. No one ever escaped him unscathed.

Not even another Super Saiyan like him.

"Come out and fight me!" He yelled out into the endless darkness, hearing nothing but his own voice echo in response.

The vision of her golden locks raging about in the wind was an obsession that he wanted to destroy. The image of her heavily beaten and battered body, torn clothes, and blood trailing in long red lines down every inch of bare skin was incomplete without her limp and cold in his grasp.

Untamed energy surged out from his core, sending another tremor to slither through the dark in search of his prey.

He wouldn't quit until she was dead.

* * *

 **A/N: I** **won't lie, the idea for this story came completely on impulse, so updates may be infrequent. I can't tell you how long this chapter took to write out, and how many old drafts I had discarded. I was getting sick of writing it, and just wanted it out immediately. Please bear with me if it's sloppy.**

 **Thank you so much for the reviews for last chapter, and feel free to leave one for this one as well. (Please, I need all the advice I can get)**

 **Bye! Thanks for reading!**


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